Photo: Kanye and Donda West
A toothless bill that makes California legislators feel they’ve struck a blow for safer plastic surgery is awaiting the governor’s signature after being approved overwhelmingly by the state Senate and Assembly. Passed in response to last year’s death of Donda West, the mother of rapper Kanye West, the bill would require a doctor to check a patient’s medical history and perform a physical examination before cosmetic surgery.
That’s a bit like passing a law to require surgeons to wash their hands before an operation. Anyone who would ignore such basic safety precautions isn’t likely to worry about the prospect of such a technical infraction. Violating the law would not be a criminal offense.
Called the Donda West Law, the bill passed 37-1 in the Senate and 73-0 in the Assembly.
The new rule would also apply to dentists, who recently won state approval to perform cosmetic surgery.
Donda West, 58, died Nov. 10 while recovering from breast reduction, tummy tuck and liposuction procedures. An autopsy report found that West likely died of heart disease coupled with complications from the plastic surgery.
Her plastic surgeon, Dr. Jan Adams, has denied any wrongdoing, but was investigated by the Medical Board of California in connection with alcohol-related arrests. West’s family believes a physical exam would have revealed that she had coronary artery disease, making the surgery hazardous.
Before passing the bill, the Senate added a provision that would allow the physical exam to be conducted by a certified nurse practitioner or licensed physician assistant.
Plastic surgeon / blogger Dr. John Di Saia of San Clemente called the bill “Feel Good” legislation, which was passed because “legislators probably felt impelled to appear as if they are doing something even if it really does nothing.” He said:
Good doctors already do this. The bad ones will probably not change or they will offload the responsibility to someone else.
“Ho hum. Most plastic surgeons already do this,” commented plastic surgeon / blogger Dr. Tony Youn. He added:
Instead of enacting unnecessary laws, why not limit plastic surgery to those who are actually trained at it?
The California legislature has recently approved a bill allowing oral surgeons (DDS dentists) to perform all sorts of facial plastic surgery. How ridiculous! You wouldn’t want me performing your root canal, so why have an oral surgeon do your facelift?
Plastic surgeon Dr. Tenley K. Lawton outlined how the screening procedure works at the Irvine Plastic Surgery Center, where she practices. She also emphasized the importance of patients checking doctors’ credentials:
I can’t speak for all surgeons but I know that in our practice we have a policy that anyone over the age of 45 must undergo a physical examination and clearance from their primary medical doctor (PMD) prior to proceeding with surgery. This applies even to healthy individuals with no history of medical problems. Patients under the age of 45 with any medical problems are also screened by their PMD.
I think patients should be educated about the importance of seeking a board-certified plastic surgeon to perform their procedure. There are many doctors out there who perform plastic surgery but are board-certified in other specialties. This becomes confusing to patients who do not understand the difference. They only see the words board-certified and assume that the physician has the appropriate training.
She also described methods for making plastic surgery safer:
In general, performing a single operation is safer than combining multiple procedures. This decreases operative time and the recovery is easier for the patient. When two or more procedures are combined it is best to have the patient recover the evening of surgery at a recovery center or hospital to provide monitoring of the patient.
In our practice at Irvine Plastic Surgery Center we have two physicians who often operate together which decreases operative time for the patient, therefore increasing patient safety.
Related links:
- Death of Kanye West’s mom sends message — be careful
- Surgeon denies blame for death of Kanye West’s mom
- Donda West’s plastic surgeon arrested on drunk driving charge
For more on cosmetic medicine, see links on the right side of this blog.
(This post was revised Aug. 26 to include Dr. Lawton’s comments.)
